A provincial statutory decision-maker has granted Barkerville Gold Mines, owned by Osisko Development Corporation, an operating permit under the Mines Act for its Cariboo Gold Mine in Wells.
The permitting process for the project was completed in 13 months, following a technical review conducted by a qualified team of technical experts in collaboration with First Nations, says Victoria. However, the Xatsull First Nation says it was not properly consulted.
“The province has shown it is failing to responsibly regulate this sector in our Territory,” said Xatśūll Kukpi7 (Chief) Rhonda Phillips, in a news release. “It’s not the 1980s anymore — by failing to address the very serious issues raised by Xatśūll about this project, the province and Osisko are neglecting to uphold their commitments to reconciliation and to implement DRIPA and UNDRIP.”
Cariboo Gold is an underground mine that will employ approximately 634 people during construction and see an initial investment of $137 million and another $918 million over the life of the mine. The project will have the capacity to process approximately 1.1 million tonnes per year of gold-bearing ore. It will include underground mining over 16 years, ore milling at the Quesnel River mine, approximately 58 kilometres southeast of Quesnel, storage of waste rock at the Bonanza Ledge Mine near Barkerville, and a transmission line from the Quesnel area to the mine.
“Xatśūll Territory is ‘ground zero’ for the harmful effects of the province’s unilateral regulation of resource extraction activities, which resulted in the ongoing environmental catastrophe of the Mount Polley tailings failure,” said Phillips. “Today many Xatśūll members are no longer able to fully or meaningfully exercise their Aboriginal title and rights, as physical disturbances in these areas disrupt essential rituals and seasonal gatherings, eroding Xatśūll’s profound connection to the land and their ancestors.”
A permit under the Environmental Management Act (EMA) for the Cariboo Gold project is under consideration with a statutory decision-maker in the Ministry of Environment and Parks. A decision is expected in the coming weeks. An EMA permit would provide authority for the company to introduce wastes into the environment while protecting public health and the environment. The EMA regulates industrial and municipal waste discharge, pollution, hazardous waste and contaminated site remediation.
This is the first project entirely assessed under the new 2018 Environmental Assessment Act that has been granted a Mines Act permit.
According to Victoria, Environmental Assessment Office completed its assessment of the mine project with extensive consultation from experts, First Nations, including the Lhtako Dené, Xatśūll, and Williams Lake First Nations, government agencies and the public.
She said Xatśūll’s major concerns about Osisko Development’s Cariboo Gold Project remain unaddressed, including:
- Negotiations with Osisko in relation to the development of an economic benefit agreement have been unproductive for months;
- The project will cause negative impacts upon caribou, further threatening the survival of the Southern Mountain subspecies of the Barkerville Woodland Caribou herd which is designated as threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act and is red listed by the province;
- The project would significantly worsen the existing, ongoing cumulative effects loading and unjustified infringements of Xatśūll’s Aboriginal title and rights, preventing members from exercising their Aboriginal title and rights such as fishing, hunting, trapping, harvesting plants and berries, gathering medicinal plants, habitation and ceremonial practices; and
- The project will have negative impacts to the human health and spiritual and cultural well-being of Xatśūll members due to risk of exposure to contaminants through ingestion of traditional foods and water and inhalation of poor air quality.
Xatśūll previously informed the provincial Environmental Assessment Office that it was withholding its consent for the project, which it will continue to do until its concerns have been adequately addressed. Although Xatśūll is currently at the table with Osisko, the Nation is asking for Osisko to reach an agreement with Xatsull before taking any further steps to complete the permitting process. Xatśūll is also calling on the Province to prioritize and initiate a collaborative process to resolve unaddressed issues related to the Project and immediately develop a consent-based decision-making process for mining activities in Xatśūll’s territory.
“We emphasize that Xatśūll would like to see sustainable resource development in our Territory, but it’s remarkable that in 2024 the province and Osisko continue to barge ahead with this mine without our consent, contrary to DRIPA and UNDRIP,” said Phillips. “If the permitting processes move ahead without addressing our concerns, any permits that are issued will be highly vulnerable to legal challenges.”